Adoptions

News about Adoptions, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Feb. 6, 2015

New York Yankees prospect Robert Refsnyder is comfortable with fact that he was adopted from South Korea by white American family and hopes to be an inspiration to other adoptees. MORE

Jan. 18, 2015

Adoptee Solidarity Korea, group formed by Koreans who were given up for adoption and ended up with families overseas, most in United States, has lobbied for legislation in South Korea that has reduced flow of Korean children out of country; group's success has led to similar movements in other nations, all of them questioning concept of international adoption. MORE

Oct. 19, 2014

State Department urges Qatari authorities to lift travel ban on Matthew and Grace Huang, Americans who were arrested nearly two years ago after the death of their adopted African daughter, and bring case to an end. MORE

Aug. 28, 2014

Eight young adults with disabilities who were fraudulently adopted by Queens woman Judith Leekin and subjected to years of abuse agree to $17.5 million settlement of their lawsuit against three private New York foster care agencies that had placed them with Leekin. MORE

Aug. 2, 2014

Mark Oppenheimer Beliefs column highlights interview with Daniel Drennan, born in Beirut in 1963, and adopted by New Jersey couple through a Roman Catholic orphanage; Drennan, who has returned to Beirut and converted to Islam, is an anti-adoption activist who sees adoption a way that wealthier families and wealthier parts of world absorb children of families whose poverty they had a role in causing. MORE

Jun. 16, 2014

Bill being negotiated in Albany would not only give thousands of adoptees access to their original birth certificates, it would also allow biological parents to state whether they wish to be contacted directly, through an intermediary or not at all, and to file updated medical information in case their children ever seek it; enactment of similar laws in New Jersey and Connecticut is fueling supporters' hopes that New York will follow suit. MORE

Apr. 29, 2014

American couple Matthew and Grace Huang are denied permission to return home while their appeal of their conviction of child endangerment in Qatar, in connection with death of their adopted daughter, is pending; they face new possibility that Qatari prosecutors will seek to charge them with human trafficking. MORE

Apr. 13, 2014

New York City Police Chief Joanne Jaffe and her adopted daughter Christina Rivera are ready to tell their story publicly on 30th anniversary of Palm Sunday Massacre, mass shooting in Brooklyn that left 10 people dead and Rivera an orphan; Jaffe cared for then-toddler Rivera through the night following massacre, first link in bond that led her to adopt the child. MORE

Mar. 25, 2014

Matthew and Grace Huang are awaiting verdict in murder trial in Qatar, in which they are accused in the death of their adopted daughter Gloria by depriving her of food and water; case has revealed what the Huangs and their lawyers and supporters have called deeply ingrained prejudices in the country about adoption and multiracial families. MORE

Mar. 14, 2014

Advertising column notes that fast food chain Wendy's, long a supporter of adoption through the Dave Thomas Foundation, has decided to put issue front and center; describes national ad campaign, featuring founder's daughter Wendy Thomas, and adoption hub that chain has posted on its website. MORE

Mar. 8, 2014

Detroit couple April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse expand their 2012 lawsuit, which looked to overturn Michigan state law that prevents them as unmarried parents from adopting each other's children, to challenge underlying obstacle--state's ban on same-sex marriages; case draws unusual national attention for its focus on the lessons of social science research into family structure and child welfare. MORE

Feb. 26, 2014

Lawyers for Matthew and Grace Huang, Americans held in Qatar on charges that they murdered their adopted African daughter, have formally asked the country's attorney general to open investigation into medical evidence used by the prosecution; lawyers claim evidence was fabricated. MORE

Feb. 6, 2014

Matthew and Grace Huang of Los Angeles, standing trial on charges they starved their 8-year-old adopted African daughter to death in Qatar, are dealt setback when court denies request for permission to visit their two other adopted children in United States; court says it will announce verdict on March 27; case against couple has been criticized by legal rights groups as example of arbitrary and outdated legal system in Qatar. MORE

Feb. 4, 2014

Several prominent Native American groups call for the Justice Department to investigate treatment of Indian children in public child-welfare systems and private adoptions; groups claim that federal law intended to keep Indian children from being removed from their families is being routinely sidestepped. MORE

Jan. 29, 2014

Brooklyn Surrogate's Court Judge Margarita Lopez Torres denies legal adoption to non-biological mother in same-sex marriage, exposing new legal complexities facing same-sex couples with children; ruled both women were already child's legal parents, since both names were on child's birth certificate, but same-sex couples fear without adoption papers, their parental rights might be questioned if they travel to other states or abroad. MORE

Jan. 12, 2014

Story of Michael Hess, closeted gay Washington lawyer who died of AIDS in 1995, is at center of movie Philomena, which documents real-life account of Irish woman searching for Hess after giving him up for adoption. MORE

Nov. 30, 2013

Saturday Profile of Philomena Lee, who was forced by Irish Catholic Church to give up her 3-year-old son for adoption in 1955 because she was an unwed mother; Lee is subject of both Stephen Frears's film Philomena and Martin Sixsmith's book of same name; film has thrown spotlight on church's past abusive practices. MORE

Nov. 21, 2013

Nicholas D Kristof Op-Ed column warns the 'private re-homing' of adopted children, who are often from foreign countries, amounts to a black market for adoptions; notes with alarm that the market is thriving and draws pedophiles; contends issue points to America's basic failure of inadequate child services. MORE

Nov. 17, 2013

Misty and Jon, parents of Denver family that wishes to remain anonymous, have adopted four children in addition to having four biological children of their own; they, like many evangelical and conservative Christian adoptive parents, say that church sermons, Christian radio shows or other Christian campaigns, convinced them that they should adopt. MORE

Nov. 7, 2013

Court in Qatar orders temporary release of Matthew and Grace Huang, American couple accused of starving their 8-year-old daughter to death; couple says adopted girl had severe eating disorder. MORE

Nov. 5, 2013

Lawyers for American couple Matthew and Grace Huang, who have been imprisoned in Qatar since 2012 on charges that they starved their adopted 8-year-old daughter with the intent of selling her organs, are scheduled to have the opportunity to present their side of the story for the first time; supporters of the couple describe the case as a combination of flawed or nonexistent evidence, ethnic prejudice and extreme cultural misunderstandings. MORE

Oct. 14, 2013

Op-Ed article by Frank Ligtvoet describes challenges of transracial adoption, citing his experience as a white parent of two adopted African-American children; contends raising kids of color by white parents requires a racial consciousness that is common in families of color, but rarely developed in white families. MORE

Sep. 24, 2013

Four-year-old Cherokee girl at center of long custody dispute is handed over to her adoptive parents in South Carolina. MORE

Sep. 22, 2013

Op-Ed article by author Kathryn Joyce traces the roots of the craze for adoption among evangelical Christians in America; notes that it has contributed to a boom-and-bust market for children around the world, in many cases creating incentives to establish or expand orphanages and identify children to fill them; calls for improvements in regulation of adoptions. MORE

Sep. 1, 2013

Death of Max Shatto, Russian boy adopted by a Texas family, bolstered international furor over adoption of Russian children, and his adoptive parents Laura and Alan Shatto say incident has left their family shattered; lingering suspicions about Max's death, despite official finding that it was an accident, have left the Shattos pariahs in their community. MORE

Aug. 14, 2013

Supreme Court ruling that American Indian child should not have been taken from her white adoptive parents in 2011 to live with her biological father is doing little to bring swift resolution to bitter custody battle; case has spurred flurry of hearings and legal maneuvering as child’s father Dusten Brown fights family court order to return girl to Melanie and Matt Capobianco, with whom girl spent her first 27 months. MORE

Jul. 18, 2013

South Carolina State Supreme Court rules that American Indian child named Veronia, who is at the center of a custody suit, should be returned to Charleston-area couple seeking to adopt her; state courts originally said federal law intended to keep Indian children from being taken from their homes favored her living with her biological father. MORE

Jun. 29, 2013

Saturday Profile of Jane Jeong Trenka, who was born in South Korea in 1972 and raised in Minnesota by adoptive parents; Trenka has returned to her birth country to lead a movement to change the way Koreans think about adoption. MORE

Jun. 23, 2013

Op-Ed article by Frank Ligtvoet observes that for adopted kids of gay dads, like his children, absence of a mother poses a unique problem; contends that overarching lesson for gay dads is that their children will long for a mother and that is perfectly natural. MORE

Jun. 1, 2013

Evangelical Christians are part of a fast-growing movement that promotes adoption as a religious and moral calling; supporters say surge in adoptions has offered hope to thousands of parent-less or abandoned children from abroad and to foster children in the United States; movement has revived debate about ethical practices in international adoptions. MORE

May. 15, 2013

Some older adults are turning the idea of retirement on its head by choosing to adopt children; some are empty-nesters who never got their fill of child-rearing; others never had children and finally have the time and means to try raising some; as more singles and gay people, too, adopt children, it is clear that the definition of what constitutes a suitable adoptive family is expanding. MORE

Apr. 26, 2013

Russian government warns Ireland’s Parliament that it may halt negotiations on agreement for cross-border adoptions if Irish parliamentary committee approves resolution critical of rights abuses in Russia. MORE

Apr. 17, 2013

Supreme Court hears arguments in custody battle over whether 3-year-old girl should remain with her biological father, who is American Indian, or be returned to adoptive parents who cared for her since birth. MORE

Apr. 17, 2013

Jim Dwyer About New York column focuses on Johnny O’Callaghan, Irish actor who has written play Who's Your Daddy? about his efforts to adopt a Ugandan orphan, and resistance he met from his family back in Ireland. MORE

Apr. 16, 2013

Editorial urges Supreme Court to reverse South Carolina State court rulings that gave the biological father, member of the Cherokee Nation, right to revoke an adoption of his child after he had given up his parental rights; notes state courts are split over meaning of 'parent' under Indian Child Welfare Act but best interests of child should come first. MORE

Mar. 27, 2013

Alexander Abnosov, 17-year-old adopted by American couple at age 12, has returned to Russia claiming that his parents treated him badly; Russian media has reported several incidents of alleged cruelty to Russian children adopted by Americans after December 2012ban on such adoptions. MORE

Mar. 22, 2013

Australia's Prime Min Julia Gillard is re-elected unopposed, surviving attempt by senior lawmaker in her own party to oust her after her predecessor Kevin Rudd, whom she deposed in a 2010 party coup, unexpectedly declined to run against her; comes on day she also issues government's first public apology for decades-long policy of forced adoptions. MORE

Mar. 20, 2013

Russian Foreign Ministry criticizes decision by United States authorities not to file charges against adoptive parents of Max Shatto, Russian-born boy who died in Texas in January. MORE

Mar. 19, 2013

Texas prosecutor says no criminal charges will be filed against adoptive parents of Max Alan Shatto, boy adopted from Russians who died in January. MORE

Mar. 3, 2013

Supporters of Russian law banning adoptions by Americans react with renewed fury and derision after Texas officials say they have found no reason to file criminal charges against Laura Shatto, adoptive mother of Max, 3-year-old Russian boy who died under mysterious circumstances in January. MORE

Mar. 2, 2013

Texas officials investigating death of Max Alan Shatto, 3-year-old boy who had been adopted from Russia, say they have found no evidence to support filing of criminal charges against boy's parents; death prompted outrage in Russia, which late in 2012 banned adoptions by American citizens. MORE

Feb. 28, 2013

The story of an abandoned baby, an adoption and, finally, a marriage. MORE

Feb. 28, 2013

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her conservative Christian Democrats are struggling to catch up to changing attitudes among voters on issues like gay marriage and adoption as gay rights have quickly emerged as campaign issue. MORE

Feb. 23, 2013

Saturday Profile of Pavel A Astakhov, Russia’s child rights commissioner and leading force behind ban on adoption of Russian children by Americans. MORE

Feb. 22, 2013

Russian officials retreat from allegations of murder against Laura Shatto, Texas woman whose 3-year-old son adopted from Russia died in late January, as investigators in United States say cause of boy’s death remains unclear. MORE

Feb. 21, 2013

Yulia A Kuzmina, Russian birth mother of two young boys adopted by Texas couple, pleads with Russian Pres Vladimir V Putin in letter to restore her parental rights to her younger son Kiril after his older brother, Max Shatto, died under unclear circumstances; case has revived aggressive campaign in Russia to curb adoptions by foreigners. MORE

Feb. 20, 2013

Russian officials accuse Texas woman Laura Shatto of fatally beating 3-year-old boy she had adopted from Russia, setting off new wave of outrage in country already focused on American adoptions that have culminated in neglect or abuse. MORE

Feb. 20, 2013

Germany's highest court rules in favor of doctor from Munster who challenged existing laws forbidding her from adopting her same-sex partner’s daughter; judges order government to draw up legislation by June 2014 to allow such adoptions within same-sex unions. MORE

Feb. 13, 2013

France's lower house of Parliament approves law that would legalize same-sex marriage and give same rights to all married couples to adopt children. MORE

Feb. 13, 2013

French aid workers Eric Breteau and Emilie Lelouch are sentenced to 2 years in prison for trying to bring 103 children from Chad to France for adoption. MORE